Fellowship of Fantasy: Reader Reviews

Rating: PGReason for choice of rating: Romantic tension between the two main characters, people getting turned to ice and melted, epic battle at the end with mild fantasy violence

The Review:Rizkaland is unique and every bit as much fun as Bookania, but in different ways. The world is cylinder-shaped, science works differently there, and of course, portals exist between our world and there, so our hero and heroine are not native to Rizkaland.The main characters, Clara and Andrew, hail from our world, and get pulled through a doorway into Rizkaland in order to fulfill a prophecy and save multiple kingdoms from Amber, the dragon who threatens their world. However, Clara and Andrew aren’t certain they want anything to do with this destiny that has been thrust upon them. And they certainly have no interest in falling in love with each other, as the prophecy seems to imply must happen!Things I Loved:The Writing Style – It’s hard to describe a writing style, as each reader is going to have a different sort of taste or preference, but Kendra’s writing just sort of draws me in and invites me to pull a warm blanket around my shoulders and settle in, because I just know I’m about to embark on a fun adventure.Andrew – Andrew is my favorite character in this story. He is responsible, caring, compassionate, and exactly the sort of person you’d want on your side if you had to go up against a dragon. I love that he represents a more “hearth-like” sort of fire, the steady, gentle glow that keeps you warm, rather than the raging inferno or devouring monstrosity that “fiery” personalities usually engender. But that doesn’t mean he’s weak, on the contrary, it might take more to get him riled, but Andrew is no slouch when it comes to protecting the people he cares about. He has a core of steel.Clara – Although it took me longer, I did eventually grow to enjoy Clara. She got on my nerves a bit in the beginning, but she was frightened and so I suppose it makes sense that she felt the need to be prickly. I also have a soft spot for feisty, talented female protagonists who are a bit marshmallowy inside than they seem. Clara’s not as tough as she’d like you to think she is.The plot - From mazes and puzzles to solve, journeys across foreign lands, quests to find each other, hints that not all is as it seems, and the culmination of an epic battle… this story was fun to read!The references – Clara quotes things. I quote things. I think, on that front, we’d be kindred spirits. It makes me happy that I “got” every reference she made, and it was entertaining to come across these little quote-nuggets throughout the book.Things I Didn’t Love:As I mentioned earlier, Clara took a while to grow on me. She starts out kind of obnoxious, and I sort of wanted to shake her every now and then.There were a few places where the story felt like it dragged a little and nothing seemed to be happening.The battle at the end sort of felt like it ended too easily, like Amber had been hyped-up a bit too much… I guess I was expecting something a bit more epic and grand in scope.The “it’s all going to end okay” use of prophecy throughout the story kind of grated a bit on my nerves. Don’t get me wrong, I love the prophecy trope (I wrote one, myself!), I love books with happy endings and I always want the good guys to win… but I don’t want to know a quarter of the way into the book that the ending WILL be happy and that the good guys will win. For me, that detracts from the adventure. Everything was spelled out so neatly in the prophecy, it wasn’t a mysterious prophecy, it was a “this is what is going to happen, so get on board and go do it” kind of prophecy, and for me, that made it hard to get too worried about the characters.These are minor quibbles, however, and overall the story was an enjoyable read.Ideal Audience:I think this would be a great book for readers 12 and up who enjoy bantering characters, sword fights, and portal fantasy.

Books and movies you would compare this to:I recommend it to anyone who enjoys The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Inkheart, or portal fantasies in general.

Did you have a favorite character or least favorite character?Favorite: Andrew

What mood did this book leave you in?Satisfied... but that EPILOGUE!!! *sobs*

The Review:What a fun anthology! I love anthologies with a common theme-in this case doorways-because it allows me to see the breadth of artistic creativity. Each author has their own unique spin on the theme, and each story has its own unique world. I was entranced by this volume, and I truly believe there is something in here for everyone. Well done!Ideal Audience:Anyone who enjoys portal fantasy.What mood did this book leave you in?Satisfied.

The Review:Lucy Sinclair is making her big debut in London Society. Everything is going well - her presentation to the King and Queen is as wondrous as she hoped - and her brother-in-law, Lord Thornewood, is scritinizing everyone and everything to make sure that she's protected from The Order of the Eternal Sun. Yet, Lord Alexander Radcliffe, Earl of Devonshire, manages to attend her debut ball, unknown and uninvited, managing to steal her heart - and exposing her to danger - all in one slick move.

On the surface, The Order of the Eternal Sun felt a little run-of-the-mill. After all, you have a young female protagonist who is coming of age and has new powers she's still learning to control, there's a love interest and another potential love interest (both very young and handsome), dangerous enemies who are after her (and her family), an overbearing/overprotective father-figure and an old mentor who steps into the picture.

And yet, Leake makes it fresh and exciting. Lucy is no shrinking lily - she's half Sylvanian with dangerous enemies after her and a growing power she's still learning to control but she's not sitting around freaking about it. She's taking decisive action, mostly rational, though sometimes too trusting - like any eighteen year old tends to be when they're in love (or at least when they think they are).

Alexander starts off as an enigma. Leake masterly fills you in with pieces of his history so you think you know his motives and yet at the same time, you're left confused - as confused as Lucy - because you can't tell if he is good or bad. You want him to be good, because you don't want Lucy to be hurt, but at the same all information points the other way and you think that she's being overly naive and trusting.

Because she's a teen and I suppose this is YA fantasy (maybe?) there's a love triangle and whilst I'm tired of this, it was quite well set up and not simply a sappy girl who can't make up her mind.

The Sylvanian world is well-constructed. You're drawn into a place of wonder and excitement. It feels as if Leake has created a real world with very real rules and consequences. The only thing I really want to know is why those with lesser Sylvan blood (such as Lucy's niece) seems to be growing stronger powers than their full-blooded or half-blooded Slyvanian relatives - it's something not quite explained in the book, and something the Queen also wants to find out, so I'm guessing this might be the topic (or at least the driving force) of the next story set in this wonderful world.

One slight detraction - from a story set in the 1800s Victorian English, most of the events of the story felt like it was set in the right period. However, some phrases used and spoken expressions felt a little too modern. Then again, I'm not an expert on the period, so I can't say for sure.

Rating: PG-13Reason for choice of rating:There's no real explicit or graphic violence though violence (mainly magical) is mentioned and there are epic magical battles. There's also quite a bit of death, including a main character death, though they're not described in detail. Slight allusion to sex, nothing described, a bit of swearing, so this one's probably pretty safe for teens and up. (I.e. nothing that would shock a supposedly innocent 13-YO. I know 13YOs are not innocent. Just saying.)

The Review:2015 finds former speedcaster champion Jaret King leading a joint mage & wizard law enforcement team in Shanghai. Sent to investigate the disappearance of a local wizard, a fairly innocuous-sounding missing persons case soon devolves into a hunt for the most deadly magical terrorist in history.

Storm in Shanghai is a story about a white American in China, written by a white American in China. Bush offers you snippets of life in China's biggest city, quick offerings of cultural exchanges, and descriptions of the locale, in the midst of a witch hunt (wizard hunt?) led by a white man with a team of locals. It's an interesting balance he's managed to walk, which should satisfy even the most politically correct of the cultural critics out there (I think. There were several jibes, but nothing I wouldn't say to a fellow Asian. lol).

The novel jumps between several main timelines: the terrorist attacks in 1990, the rise of wizardry in the early 11th century and present day events in 2015. This makes the beginning of the story feel long and rather clunky, making it a little difficult to get into immediately but it's worth it. By the time everything weaves together into one horrific disaster somewhere in the middle of the book, you can't help but feel invested in all that has happened so far and hope for a solution that's not painful or nasty, and certainly please, no more deaths. (Case in point: I read the first maybe 30% sporadically over the span of 5 days, picked it up again today thinking I'd read for short while before doing something else, and then find myself finishing the whole thing because... darn it, NO. WHY DID YOU DO IT JARET.)

Bush's writing style is pretty straight-forward and action-driven, so don't expect anything poetically fancy or pointlessly beautiful. His strength is in the plot, action and characterisations, even of the villain. There's a nice complexity to his creation of mage-wizard relations and tensions, making it believable.

The Review:What a beautiful young adult fantasy novel! The medieval setting was not atypical; however, it had plenty of unique characteristics to set it apart. Things likes the lizard-like Horde, and one of the main characters being a pacifist are not something you run across in your every day fantasy novel. I enjoyed the gentle love story between the two main characters, and the growth both showed through trial and hardship. In all, this is a lovely novel, highly recommended for teens on up. Mom approved!

Ideal Audience:12+. I think boys might like this, as it has a male MC. Girls too, because of his love interest, the female mc.

Did you have a favorite character or least favorite character?Mercy. She grew a lot in strength through trial.

The Review:Meet Robin and Robert, royal twins who seem to be the victims of a tragic mistake. You see, when they were born, their fairy godmother mixed up their gifts. Princess Robin is quite handy with a sword, while Prince Robert spends his hours sewing marvelous tapestries. Their parents have been searching for a way to switch the twins’ gifts, and a way has finally been found! The twins must undertake a quest to find their fairy godmother and make the request themselves… that is… if they still want their gifts switched by the time they find her!

Sew is short, sweet, and a fairly quick read. The characters don’t always know exactly where they’re going and sometimes the plot meanders a bit, but the author is quick to point it out when this happens, which is highly entertaining. The twins are fun characters to spend time with and along the way they start to gather up quite a collection of fellow travelers – most of whom the reader will recognize from various fairy tales.

The story is well written, well-edited, and the only thing that took some getting used to was the way some of the characters use a sort of “Old English” way of speaking… which isn’t always correct or true to our own “Old English,” but then, Bookania isn’t exactly in our world, and Kendra is consistent with how she uses the dialect, so it worked for me.

While the end of the story does not come as a shock (it’s a fairy tale, the ending isn’t really supposed to be a shock), there are enough surprises to keep the reader interested, and more than enough truly fantastic puns that will keep you chuckling out loud as you read. The story wraps up nicely, without any pesky cliffhangers, but leaves itself open for a sequel.

The Review:I really enjoyed this final installment of the Puzzle Box Trilogy. There's a lot to unpack (zombies, evil moms, characters with twisty motives), and it is pretty much non-stop action. The earlier books have some set up that takes some time, but in this one the world and characters are pretty established. so there's more time for running around, fighting zombies, and saving the world.

Over all a very satisfying conclusion to a tightly written and original series.

Ideal Audience:Paranormal Romance Readers who are more interested than characters than "abs."

Rating:PGReason for choice of rating:There's a lot of kissing/hand-holding, and the shower scene, which is fairly tame, but worth mentioning

The Review:This one was a fun, easy read. But while it did hold my attention, it didn’t quite make it up onto my list of favorites.

I liked this story. It just wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I’m not entirely certain why. The premise is unique and interesting, and the characters develop well. The world-development is very good and easy to follow. I probably would have enjoyed a bit more explanation of the world and a bit less time spent on the teenager worries/romance. The main character, Alora, has a “soulmate bond” with Kaevin, which means that they have to hold hands once a day or they will both become seriously ill and die. If they kiss, they “recharge” their magical abilities more quickly. While I appreciated the humor and the cleverness this brought to the story, I did get about as tired of the scenes where they kissed as Alora’s Uncle Charles, who raised her and has strict rules about dating. But that’s just my personal preference.

I also would have liked to see more development of the villain – who felt like he was evil solely for the sake of being evil, as opposed to having a solid motivation for his actions.

Because of the main character’s special ability, there is a lot of hopping all over the place. This is handled extremely well and I was never lost or confused about what was happening or where people were.

While I appreciated the characters reacting to weird and unfamiliar sights/experiences with acceptance rather than freaking out, I did feel at times that they accepted it too easily. It also felt like they weren’t taking the threats and the danger seriously, which made it hard for me to take it seriously as well.

The concept of the clans and the gifts was brilliant, and it was the best part of the story. I enjoyed discovering this magical realm with the main character. Unfortunately, since events transpired so quickly, I didn’t feel like I ever got to really bask in the wonder of this new realm.

Overall, I liked this story. I may even continue reading the series. But like I said, it just seemed to be missing that intangible, undefinable quality that turns a “good read” into a “favorite read.” I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys young adult stories, portal fantasy (fantasy that has people crossing from “our” world into a fantastical, magical realm… aka Narnia), and stories that have a healthy helping of clean teenage romance.

Ideal Audience:Good for ages 13 and up. Excellent story for anyone who likes a lot of adventure mixed with their romance

Books and movies you would compare this to:Kind of reminds me of a cross between Twilight (in a good way) and Shannara.

Did you have a favorite character or least favorite character?Favorite character was probably Uncle Charles. I liked that he was very real in his worries, but also that he was willing to step up and help and do anything he had to in order to protect Alora, which is what I expected him to do.

The Review:A captivating and fascinating journeyinto the fierce land of the Fae.There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of books about fairyland filled with mythical creatures that end up being essentially human with just minor variations. If the author left off their physical description, they would be mistaken for someone you might pass on the street.In CJ Brightley’s newest novel, The Lord of Dreams, this is not the kind of fairyland we find. When Claire Delaney is brought into the land of the Fae, not a single creature she encounters can be mistaken for a human.What we step into, with Claire, is a world that feels like the land of the Fae should—alien, irrational and tinged with danger. The colors are brighter, sharper. The darkness is more foreboding. The creatures are wild and fierce, savage and undiluted. Things like distance and reason aren’t as true as desire and intention. The creatures she encounters act in unpredictable ways and say things that are both cryptic and deeply true.The reader joins Claire in trying to decipher the world, the creatures she meets, and most of all, the mesmerizing Lord of Dreams who begins as a villain, and ends up as something so much more. And, like all good fairy stories, there are dreams which are as real, and as important, as waking actions.The reader is carried along with Claire, disoriented and often confused, but Brightley brings it all together for a satisfying, rewarding conclusion.Highly recommended for immersion into a captivating, surprising, living world that is just how the land of the Fae should feel.Hopeful. Even in the darker passages, there are still glimpses of goodness and courage

Ideal Audience:12 and up, readers who like a good female hero and a little romance

Rating:PGThe Review:I love Burke's stories and this was the first book of hers I bought in paperback straight off! Couldn't wait to see what plans she had for a magician-centered story and I was certainly not disappointed.

Auric and Jericho butt heads right from the get-go. Jericho was actually my favorite of the two for most of the story, simply because Auric's general better-than-you attitude makes me want to slap him a few times. Auric did grow on me as the story progressed, though, and I loved watching the boys' rivalry develop into something closer to friendship as the story progresses and they face many challenges (view spoiler) together.

My favorite human character, for the record, is Rill, because she's awesome. My favorite character is Jaspyr--wish I had a magical, mechanical fox!

I really loved the magic system, too--I've seen written spells done before but in this case, it's kind of like coding; you have the opening symbol and closing symbol and other symbols in-between that define the spell. Definitely the kind of magic I would want to wield if it were possible.

The ending wraps the story up nicely, but leaves things open for a sequel--which I look forward to reading!

Reviews by Readers

This blog features reviews of Fellowship of Fantasy titles submitted by readers.All reviews are the opinion of the reviewer, not necessarily of the Fellowship of the Fantasy's administrators or authors.Likewise content ratings applied to the books are at the discretion of that particular reader/reviewer. What may be a G for one may be PG for another.